chip
der Chip, die Chips
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chip
A small, thin piece of semiconductor material that contains a complex electronic circuit; a microchip.
Der neue Chip im Smartphone sorgt für eine deutlich höhere Leistung.
The new chip in the smartphone provides significantly higher performance.
chip
A thin, fried slice of potato or another vegetable. Usually used in the plural, 'Chips'.
Er nahm sich den letzten Chip aus der Schüssel.
He took the last chip from the bowl.
chip
A round token used in casinos as a substitute for money; a casino chip.
Beim Poker setzte er seinen letzten Chip auf eine einzige Karte.
In poker, he bet his last chip on a single card.
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Chips |
| genitive | des Chips |
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Chip | die Chips |
| accusative | den Chip | die Chips |
| dative | dem Chip | den Chips |
| genitive | des Chips | der Chips |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
You can only recognize the meaning of 'Chip' from context. Words like 'Computer' or 'Smartphone' point to the microchip, 'essen' (to eat) or 'Tüte' (bag) to potato chips, and 'Casino' or 'Poker' to the game token.
Der neue Chip in meinem Handy ist extrem schnell.
The new chip in my phone is extremely fast.
Gib mir bitte mal die Schüssel mit den Chips!
Please pass me the bowl of chips!
Er setzte alle seine Chips auf eine einzige Zahl.
He bet all his chips on a single number.
For potato chips, the plural form 'die Chips' is almost always used; the singular 'der Chip' is unusual in this sense. With microchips and game tokens, however, both the singular and the plural are common.
Diese Tüte Chips ist schon fast leer.
This bag of chips is already almost empty.
Der Techniker tauschte den defekten Chip auf der Platine aus.
The technician replaced the defective chip on the circuit board.
In the technical context, 'Chip' is often used in compounds such as 'Mikrochip' (microchip), 'Speicherchip' (memory chip), or 'Computerchip' (computer chip). Common verbs are 'einen Chip einbauen' (to install a chip) or 'einen Chip entwickeln' (to develop a chip).
Die Firma entwickelt einen neuen, leistungsfähigeren Chip für Grafikkarten.
The company is developing a new, more powerful chip for graphics cards.
Be careful, especially for speakers of British English: German 'Chips' are always thin, crispy potato chips from a bag. The thick, hot potato sticks that are called 'chips' in the UK are called 'Pommes frites' (French fries) in German.
Für den Filmabend kaufen wir Bier und Chips.
For movie night, we're buying beer and chips.
Ich bestelle ein Schnitzel mit Pommes frites.
I'll order a schnitzel with French fries.
processor
Chip and Prozessor can refer to the central electronic component of a computer. “Chip” mainly describes the small integrated circuit as a component, while “Prozessor” emphasizes its function as the central processing unit. Use “Chip” when focusing on its physical form and “Prozessor” when focusing on its computational function.
Der kleine Chip sitzt fest auf der Hauptplatine des Computers.
The small chip is firmly mounted on the computer’s motherboard.
Der schnelle Prozessor verarbeitet die Daten und steuert die Programme.
The fast processor processes the data and controls the programs.
